Pfenning group (KMP Holding)
German family-owned logistics group providing supply-chain, contract-logistics and related industrial services.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Pfenning group (KMP Holding) is a German family-owned logistics group headquartered in Heddesheim. Its principal business is the design and operation of supply-chain and contract-logistics services for manufacturing, retail and other industrial sectors. The group operates through KMP Holding GmbH, an administrative umbrella for several businesses that provide logistics, logistics real-estate, personnel, metal-construction and automotive-related services. The company's roots reach back to a dairy business recorded in the trade diary of Viernheim on September 16, 1899. That business was associated with Martin Faber, the grandfather of later owner Karl-Martin Pfenning. The postwar Pfenning enterprise developed from milk collection and transport operated by Elisabeth Faber and Johann Pfenning. After Johann returned from captivity following the Second World War, the business was rebuilt with a single remaining vehicle. During the 1950s and 1960s, milk transport remained its core activity, while deliveries of building materials and other freight broadened the operating territory. Pfenning moved progressively from transport into storage and integrated logistics. It received a long-distance transport licence covering journeys of up to 150 kilometres in 1969 and an unlimited long-distance freight permit in 1972. External warehousing began in 1973, and Karl-Martin Pfenning, who joined the company in 1970, developed storage capacity and customer-specific warehousing. In 1978, the company constructed its first warehouse for a customer. During the fragmented German logistics market of the 1980s, Pfenning pursued cooperation rather than relying only on organic expansion. Karl-Martin Pfenning founded Logsped, described as Germany's first logistics cooperation, bringing smaller forwarding companies together under a shared identity, market presence and operating standards. The network served large customers including the REWE Group. The Logsped period ended in 1996, after which the company reorganised its activities and re-established its logistics operations independently. The group entered contract and trade logistics in the 1990s. The former Pfenning Spedition business was bought back in 1997, and KMP Holding GmbH was established as the administrative holding company in 1998. Expansion into Eastern Europe followed. The integration of Berlin forwarding company Erck in 2005 and entry into just-in-time plant supply in Bremen in 2006 strengthened the group's automotive capabilities. From 2010, acquisitions in metal construction and the creation of an internal temporary-employment business widened the service portfolio beyond conventional freight and warehousing. A major infrastructure milestone came in 2012, when Pfenning built and moved into the self-developed Multicube Rhein-Neckar logistics complex in Heddesheim. The Multicube Rheinhessen facility in Monsheim opened in 2018. The group then accelerated its German expansion from 2019 and established sites in Hungary, Sweden, Poland and France by 2021. Reference material describes the business in 2022 as a third- and fourth-generation family enterprise with approximately 7,000 employees and 110 European locations, including 55 production sites. Those figures are historical reference data rather than current company disclosures. Pfenning's positioning is that of a broad, industry-focused supply-chain partner rather than a parcel-delivery brand. Its capabilities cover transport, warehousing, contract logistics, production supply and logistics infrastructure, with additional activities intended to support industrial customers' labour, construction and mobility requirements. The group's private ownership and family-business heritage remain central to its identity, while its network and service range give it an international operating footprint.
History
Pfenning group's documented roots extend to a dairy business recorded in Viernheim on September 16, 1899. The business was associated with Martin Faber, whose daughter Elisabeth later became part of the family enterprise that developed into Pfenning. After the Second World War, Elisabeth and her future husband Johann Pfenning rebuilt the milk-collection and transport operation. Johann returned from captivity with only one vehicle remaining, and the company gradually restored its business in the difficult postwar environment. Milk transport generated stable activity through the 1950s and 1960s. The company then accepted additional freight work, including building-material deliveries, extending its geographic reach and reducing its dependence on a single line of business. In 1969 it obtained a licence for long-distance transport up to 150 kilometres, followed by an unlimited long-distance freight permit in 1972. External warehouses were first rented in 1973. Karl-Martin Pfenning joined the company in 1970 and subsequently developed owned and customer-oriented storage capacity; the first warehouse built for a customer was completed in 1978. The logistics sector became increasingly fragmented in the early 1980s. In response, Pfenning helped establish Logsped, a cooperation of smaller forwarding companies. The organisation used a common logo, coordinated market presence and shared logistics standards. Its network allowed participating companies to pursue larger accounts, including REWE Group, and demonstrated an early attempt to combine the reach of a network with the local capabilities of independent forwarders. The Logsped chapter ended in 1996, after which Pfenning rebuilt its activities around its own logistics and contract-logistics operations. Pfenning bought back the former Pfenning Spedition business in 1997 and founded KMP Holding GmbH in 1998. The holding company became the administrative framework for a group whose activities expanded beyond traditional forwarding into contract logistics, trade logistics and supply-chain services. Eastern European expansion took place during this phase. In 2005, the group integrated the Berlin forwarding company Erck. In 2006, it entered just-in-time plant supply in Bremen, strengthening its position in automotive production logistics. From 2010 onward, Pfenning added further business areas. Acquisitions in metal construction and the creation of an in-house temporary-employment agency broadened the services available to industrial customers and diversified the group beyond transport and storage. The company also developed logistics real estate as a strategic capability rather than treating facilities only as rented operating locations. In 2012, Pfenning completed the self-developed Multicube Rhein-Neckar logistics concept in Heddesheim and moved its operations there. The site represented the group's emphasis on large, integrated logistics infrastructure. In 2018, it inaugurated Multicube Rheinhessen in Monsheim. Beginning in 2019, the company expanded across Germany and later added sites in Hungary, Sweden, Poland and France. Reference material identifies the business in 2022 as a third- and fourth-generation family company with around 7,000 employees at 110 locations in Europe, including 55 production sites. Current figures are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2021
Additional European locations established
[1]By this point, Pfenning had opened locations in Hungary, Sweden, Poland and France.
- 2019
Germany-wide expansion begins
[1]The group began a broader expansion across Germany.
- 2018
Multicube Rheinhessen inaugurated
[1]Pfenning opened its Multicube Rheinhessen facility in Monsheim.
- 2012
Move to Multicube Rhein-Neckar
[1]The group completed and moved into its self-developed Multicube Rhein-Neckar logistics complex in Heddesheim.
- 2006
Entry into automotive just-in-time supply
[1]Pfenning entered just-in-time plant supply in Bremen and expanded its automotive logistics capabilities.
- 2005
Erck integrated
[1]The group integrated the Berlin-based forwarding company Erck.
- 1998
KMP Holding founded
[1]KMP Holding GmbH was established as the group's administrative umbrella.
- 1997
Pfenning Spedition bought back
[1]The former Pfenning Spedition business was reacquired as the group rebuilt its logistics platform.
- 1996
End of the Logsped phase
[1]The Logsped period ended, and Pfenning continued its logistics activities through a reorganised standalone structure.
- 1980
Logsped cooperation founded
[1]During the 1980s, Pfenning founded Logsped, a coordinated network of smaller forwarding companies.
Products and positioning
A family-owned, industry-focused supply-chain and contract-logistics provider combining transport, warehousing, production logistics and related industrial services.
Supply-chain services
Contract logistics
Pfenning provides outsourced logistics operations for industrial and retail customers. The offering can combine transport coordination, warehousing, distribution, inventory handling and customer-specific process design. Its development from forwarding and storage into contract logistics is central to the group's modern identity, with services intended to support manufacturing and trading businesses across their supply chains rather than only individual freight movements.
Production logistics · 2006
Industrial and automotive logistics
The group serves manufacturing sectors, including automotive production. Its activities include just-in-time plant supply, a capability associated with the Bremen operation established in 2006. These services are designed around the timing and sequencing requirements of production plants, where dependable inbound material flow and coordinated transport are more important than simple point-to-point freight delivery.
Logistics infrastructure · 2012
Multicube Rhein-Neckar
Multicube Rhein-Neckar is a self-developed logistics concept and facility in Heddesheim. Completed in 2012, it became the group's principal headquarters and a major base for integrated logistics operations. The project illustrates Pfenning's strategy of developing logistics real estate alongside operating services, allowing facilities to be tailored to the requirements of contract-logistics customers.
Logistics infrastructure · 2018
Multicube Rheinhessen
Multicube Rheinhessen is Pfenning's logistics complex in Monsheim, inaugurated in 2018. It forms part of the group's facility network and supports the expansion of warehousing and supply-chain services in Germany. The site belongs to the same infrastructure-oriented development approach represented by Multicube Rhein-Neckar.
Transport and storage
Freight forwarding and warehousing
The original operating base of the business was milk collection and transport, later extended to building materials and general freight. Pfenning subsequently added rented and owned warehouses, customer-specific facilities and broader distribution capabilities. Freight forwarding and warehousing remain foundational activities supporting the group's contract-logistics proposition.
Diversified business services · 2010
Related industrial services
KMP Holding's wider portfolio includes logistics real-estate development, personnel services, metal construction and car dealerships. These activities extend beyond the core logistics brand but are described as part of the holding group's business structure and provide complementary capabilities for industrial customers and the broader operating group.
Brand decisions
2019
Accelerate geographic expansionStrategyBackground
Following the development of major German logistics facilities, Pfenning pursued a wider regional footprint.
Action taken
The group began Germany-wide expansion and subsequently opened sites in Hungary, Sweden, Poland and France.
Aftermath
By 2021, the group had an operating presence in those four additional European markets.
2012
Develop an integrated logistics real-estate platformStrategyBackground
Pfenning sought to align logistics operations with purpose-developed infrastructure.
Action taken
The group built the Multicube Rhein-Neckar concept in Heddesheim and relocated there.
Aftermath
The project became a central base for the group and was followed by the Multicube Rheinhessen facility in 2018.
1998
Establish KMP HoldingStrategyBackground
After the end of the Logsped period and the reacquisition of Pfenning Spedition, the business required an administrative structure for its expanding activities.
Action taken
KMP Holding GmbH was founded as the administrative umbrella for logistics and related operating companies.
Aftermath
The holding structure supported later expansion into contract logistics, Eastern Europe, automotive supply, personnel services, metal construction and logistics real estate.
1980
Create a shared logistics cooperationStrategyBackground
The German logistics market was highly fragmented, with many small forwarding companies competing independently.
Action taken
Pfenning founded Logsped, creating a common identity, coordinated market presence and shared operating standards for participating forwarders.
Aftermath
The network enabled participation in larger customer relationships, including work for REWE Group, before the Logsped phase ended in 1996.
Recent events
- 2021
International site expansion reaches Hungary, Sweden, Poland and France[1]
Other
Following Germany-wide expansion from 2019, the group had opened locations in four additional European countries by 2021.
- 2018
Multicube Rheinhessen is inaugurated[1]
Other
Pfenning inaugurated the Multicube Rheinhessen facility in Monsheim as part of its logistics-infrastructure expansion.
- 2012
Pfenning opens the Multicube Rhein-Neckar complex[1]
Other
The group completed and moved into its self-developed Multicube Rhein-Neckar logistics concept in Heddesheim, which became a major infrastructure base.
- 1998
Pfenning establishes KMP Holding as its administrative umbrella[1]
Other
KMP Holding GmbH was founded as the administrative holding structure for Pfenning's logistics and related operating businesses.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/pfenning-group-kmp-holding · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled